
Erik Ritland, a writer and musician from St. Paul, Minnesota, is the main contributor for Rambling On. He was also Lead Staff Writer for Minnesota culture blog Curious North. Support Erik's music via his Patreon account, reach him via email, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
The first few months of 2015 were very exciting - and productive - at Rambling On. We debuted the daily Weekday Ramble series and had longer features on the Wild, some tense Christian/Muslim relations, Hockey Day in Minnesota, the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, and much more.
Thanks for your continual support! Below is the full archive.
Introducing the Weekday Ramble! 1/5/15
New year, new series! Each weekday musician and journalist Erik Ritland, the founder of Rambling On, will give a short, readable piece of seriously fun commentary on sports, music, culture, and more. Check out the first, which covers the Gophers loss to Missouri, the fallacy of the phrase "but I'm a good person!," and a couple old school Catholic Bishops.
Wild Report 1/6/15: Tired, Lackluster, and Downright Awful 1/6/15
Things don’t look good for the Wild going into 2015. With the amount of talent on the team there is no reason for such terrible performance. If they don’t right the ship soon it’ll sink really fast.
Week in Review 1/4/15-1/10/15: The Lions lose, mourning J.P. Parise and three others, MLB Hall of Fame, McCartney/Kanye, more 1/9/15
The first week of our new series, the Weekday Ramble, has wrapped up! Each weekday Rambling On founder, lead writer, and podcast host Erik Ritland provides seriously fun commentary on sports, music, culture, and more.
This weeks topics: the Detroit Lions lose in a heartbreaker, the MLB Hall of Fame is a joke, McCartney and Kanye go together well, Americana songwriter Erik Brandt releases a video, Erik is a crazy cat guy, Minnnesota sports teams can't win, Wilco's A Ghost is Born gets another listen, our top 15 albums of 2014 are revealed, and mourning the loss of polka master 'Big' Joe Siedlik, country legend Little Jimmy Dickens, North Stars immortal J.P. Parise, and sportscaster Stuart Scott.
Better than the Bit (but not Ice Bowl II) Week of 1/11/15
In a game that certainly lived up to the hype, the Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys 26-21. It’s sad that this, one of the only legitimate classic games of the 2014 NFL season, isn’t being correctly heralded because of a general misunderstanding of a questionable rule. I don’t usually agree with Joe Buck but he nailed it in his analysis of the Dez Brant non-catch: “Common sense tells you that was a catch but by the letter of the letter of the law and the rule book he didn’t control it going to the ground.”
Huckabee Discusses Obama, Media Stirs Pot Dishonestly Week of 1/11/15
The mainstream media uses buzz words to try and make stories out of nothing. As they did this week when they accused Mike Huckabee of "slamming" the Obama's parenting.
The Lunatics Running the Asylum in Cleveland Week of 1/11/15
Things aren't going as planned for the Cleveland Cavaliers so far in 2015. It's early, though.\
Cowardly Duke Gives in to Misguided Protestant Franklin Graham Week of 1/11/15
A lengthy article about Duke's decision to submit to pressure and not allow Muslim students to broadcast a prayer from their bell tower.
St. Paul Represents for Hockey Day in Minnesota 2015 Week of 1/11/15
"The State of Hockey" may be little more than a marketing gimmick at this point, but Hockey Day in Minnesota is still like a holiday. The sport is celebrated at all levels and this year my hometown was the host.
Week in Review 1/11/15-1/17/15: Minnesota Sports Team Futility, Dylan and the Chairman, Elvis is Still the King, more 1/17/15
This week in our Weekday Rambles: Peyton Manning should retire and Minnesota sports teams disappoint; Dylan does Sinatra, kids react to the Beatles, and 1995 in music; Revolution #9, and Mo Williams; Elvis Presley in the '70s; AFC and NFC Championship games, country western classic "A Satisfied Mind."
Week in Review: 5/31/2015-6/6/2015
#FunFacts about skinny Buddha, fat Prince Fielder, Hanks Williams and Aaron, and the North Star; celebrating the Rolling Stones; celebrating the Wu Tang Clan; the movie that Roger Ebert claimed was worse than watching his colonoscopy.
Folk and/or Rock and/or Roll: Welaware at Palmer's 5/31/2015
Underground folk/rockers Welaware bring their edgy music to Palmer's. Featuring clever lyrics, a rowdy crowd, and folks doing blow in the bathroom.
Week in Review 6/7/2015-6/13/2015
The movie Roger Ebert called “aggressively bad, as if it wants to cause suffering to the audience” and more of his underrated humor; #FunFacts about the Minnesota Vikings, cocaine, Bruce Springsteen, a blues legend, soccer, and American youth; legends take over the #1 spot on the country charts; why Garth Brooks doesn’t allow his songs to be downloaded digitally.
Week in Review 6/14/2015-6/20/2015
The Twins finally call up top prospect Byron Buxton and we celebrate Waylon Jennings; our popular #FunFacts feature returns with bits about the theologian who created basketball, how well Paul McCartney can count backwards, and Monty Python’s Holy Grail; satire videos teach us about cute cats, conspiracies, and hipsters who are too good to watch sports; and the shooting in Charleston inspires solemn mourning and a beam of hope.
Love Wins? The Hypocritical Hatred of Those Who Preach "Love" 6/26/2015
In a landmark decision today the Supreme Court ruled in favor of legalizing gay marriage in the United States. The popular hashtag for discussing it on social media is #LoveWins. But are the people saying this actually filled with love?
Rock Around the Clock: MSRA's Back to the '50s 2015 6/26/2015
Good old fashioned family fun at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
Wild Update 6/29/2015: Of Goaltending, Defense 6/29/2015
Our Wild correspondent Peter Ripka breaks down the signing of Devan Dubnyk and other goings on with the team.
Week in Review 6/21/15-6/27/2015
Pete Rose is caught cheating again and a celebrity has a mean-spirited Father's Day message; a dead country star gets resurrected in a disturbing way; hip Minnesota radio station The Current surprises; Neil Young and Donald Trump have a kerfuffle; the Timberwolves' stock rises and Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson gets greedy.
Week in Review 6/28/15-7/4/2015
A controversial Wild contract and the Twins regress to the mean; cricket (the sport), crickets (the insect), and crickets (Buddy Holly's band); a classic basketball team, a debate about who was the first superhero, and some fun science; Gene Autry's baseball team, John Mellencamp hates America, and the perils of pinball; classic and unexpected flops from The Doors in honor of the anniversary of the death of Jim Morrison.
Music Brings St. Paul Alive: The Twin Cities Jazz Festival 6/29/15
The 2015 Twin Cities Jazz Festival was the most impressive yet. While the music is at the forefront, the best part is how well it showcases St. Paul. It was a truly special event in its magnitude and breadth of talent. Published in three parts (part one, part two, part three).
Thanks for your continual support! Below is the full archive.
Introducing the Weekday Ramble! 1/5/15
New year, new series! Each weekday musician and journalist Erik Ritland, the founder of Rambling On, will give a short, readable piece of seriously fun commentary on sports, music, culture, and more. Check out the first, which covers the Gophers loss to Missouri, the fallacy of the phrase "but I'm a good person!," and a couple old school Catholic Bishops.
Wild Report 1/6/15: Tired, Lackluster, and Downright Awful 1/6/15
Things don’t look good for the Wild going into 2015. With the amount of talent on the team there is no reason for such terrible performance. If they don’t right the ship soon it’ll sink really fast.
Week in Review 1/4/15-1/10/15: The Lions lose, mourning J.P. Parise and three others, MLB Hall of Fame, McCartney/Kanye, more 1/9/15
The first week of our new series, the Weekday Ramble, has wrapped up! Each weekday Rambling On founder, lead writer, and podcast host Erik Ritland provides seriously fun commentary on sports, music, culture, and more.
This weeks topics: the Detroit Lions lose in a heartbreaker, the MLB Hall of Fame is a joke, McCartney and Kanye go together well, Americana songwriter Erik Brandt releases a video, Erik is a crazy cat guy, Minnnesota sports teams can't win, Wilco's A Ghost is Born gets another listen, our top 15 albums of 2014 are revealed, and mourning the loss of polka master 'Big' Joe Siedlik, country legend Little Jimmy Dickens, North Stars immortal J.P. Parise, and sportscaster Stuart Scott.
Better than the Bit (but not Ice Bowl II) Week of 1/11/15
In a game that certainly lived up to the hype, the Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys 26-21. It’s sad that this, one of the only legitimate classic games of the 2014 NFL season, isn’t being correctly heralded because of a general misunderstanding of a questionable rule. I don’t usually agree with Joe Buck but he nailed it in his analysis of the Dez Brant non-catch: “Common sense tells you that was a catch but by the letter of the letter of the law and the rule book he didn’t control it going to the ground.”
Huckabee Discusses Obama, Media Stirs Pot Dishonestly Week of 1/11/15
The mainstream media uses buzz words to try and make stories out of nothing. As they did this week when they accused Mike Huckabee of "slamming" the Obama's parenting.
The Lunatics Running the Asylum in Cleveland Week of 1/11/15
Things aren't going as planned for the Cleveland Cavaliers so far in 2015. It's early, though.\
Cowardly Duke Gives in to Misguided Protestant Franklin Graham Week of 1/11/15
A lengthy article about Duke's decision to submit to pressure and not allow Muslim students to broadcast a prayer from their bell tower.
St. Paul Represents for Hockey Day in Minnesota 2015 Week of 1/11/15
"The State of Hockey" may be little more than a marketing gimmick at this point, but Hockey Day in Minnesota is still like a holiday. The sport is celebrated at all levels and this year my hometown was the host.
Week in Review 1/11/15-1/17/15: Minnesota Sports Team Futility, Dylan and the Chairman, Elvis is Still the King, more 1/17/15
This week in our Weekday Rambles: Peyton Manning should retire and Minnesota sports teams disappoint; Dylan does Sinatra, kids react to the Beatles, and 1995 in music; Revolution #9, and Mo Williams; Elvis Presley in the '70s; AFC and NFC Championship games, country western classic "A Satisfied Mind."
Week in Review: 5/31/2015-6/6/2015
#FunFacts about skinny Buddha, fat Prince Fielder, Hanks Williams and Aaron, and the North Star; celebrating the Rolling Stones; celebrating the Wu Tang Clan; the movie that Roger Ebert claimed was worse than watching his colonoscopy.
Folk and/or Rock and/or Roll: Welaware at Palmer's 5/31/2015
Underground folk/rockers Welaware bring their edgy music to Palmer's. Featuring clever lyrics, a rowdy crowd, and folks doing blow in the bathroom.
Week in Review 6/7/2015-6/13/2015
The movie Roger Ebert called “aggressively bad, as if it wants to cause suffering to the audience” and more of his underrated humor; #FunFacts about the Minnesota Vikings, cocaine, Bruce Springsteen, a blues legend, soccer, and American youth; legends take over the #1 spot on the country charts; why Garth Brooks doesn’t allow his songs to be downloaded digitally.
Week in Review 6/14/2015-6/20/2015
The Twins finally call up top prospect Byron Buxton and we celebrate Waylon Jennings; our popular #FunFacts feature returns with bits about the theologian who created basketball, how well Paul McCartney can count backwards, and Monty Python’s Holy Grail; satire videos teach us about cute cats, conspiracies, and hipsters who are too good to watch sports; and the shooting in Charleston inspires solemn mourning and a beam of hope.
Love Wins? The Hypocritical Hatred of Those Who Preach "Love" 6/26/2015
In a landmark decision today the Supreme Court ruled in favor of legalizing gay marriage in the United States. The popular hashtag for discussing it on social media is #LoveWins. But are the people saying this actually filled with love?
Rock Around the Clock: MSRA's Back to the '50s 2015 6/26/2015
Good old fashioned family fun at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
Wild Update 6/29/2015: Of Goaltending, Defense 6/29/2015
Our Wild correspondent Peter Ripka breaks down the signing of Devan Dubnyk and other goings on with the team.
Week in Review 6/21/15-6/27/2015
Pete Rose is caught cheating again and a celebrity has a mean-spirited Father's Day message; a dead country star gets resurrected in a disturbing way; hip Minnesota radio station The Current surprises; Neil Young and Donald Trump have a kerfuffle; the Timberwolves' stock rises and Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson gets greedy.
Week in Review 6/28/15-7/4/2015
A controversial Wild contract and the Twins regress to the mean; cricket (the sport), crickets (the insect), and crickets (Buddy Holly's band); a classic basketball team, a debate about who was the first superhero, and some fun science; Gene Autry's baseball team, John Mellencamp hates America, and the perils of pinball; classic and unexpected flops from The Doors in honor of the anniversary of the death of Jim Morrison.
Music Brings St. Paul Alive: The Twin Cities Jazz Festival 6/29/15
The 2015 Twin Cities Jazz Festival was the most impressive yet. While the music is at the forefront, the best part is how well it showcases St. Paul. It was a truly special event in its magnitude and breadth of talent. Published in three parts (part one, part two, part three).